Potential free agent replacements for James Johnson
By Simon Smith
Ersan Ilyasova, Atlanta Hawks
A player in the same mold as Mirotic, Ilyasova is the definition of a journeyman. After spending seven seasons in Milwaukee, Ilyasova has now played for five teams in the last two seasons.
Last season, Ilyasova’s 53-game stint with the Philadelphia 76ers produced a career-high 14.8 points per game, which included shooting at a 35.9 percent clip from behind three on 5.6 attempts per game. One strong feature during his time in Philadelphia was his conversion on three-point attempts considered wide open, per NBA.com. On 1.8 attempts per game, Ilyasova converted at a 45.8 percent clip.
On a per-36 minutes basis, Ilyasova’s productivity in Philadelphia was impressive. Over these 53 games, Ilyasova averaged 19.6 points and 7.8 rebounds. His most productive game overall last season came in road loss to the Chicago Bulls. Playing 35 minutes, Ilyasova notched 31 points and 11 rebounds, which included 112-of-19 overall from the field.
As can be seen, Ilyasova has a variety of scoring alternatives. Having played alongside both Joel Embiid and Nerlens Noel for a good portion of last season, and Andre Drummond in Detoit the season prior, Ilyasova has shown he can become a serviceable compliment alongside a strong inside presence.
This therefore makes him prepared to play in tandem with a center such as the Heat’s Whiteside.